A new study by creative effectiveness platform DAIVID finds that 84% of branded content on TikTok is underperforming, generating below-average levels of positive emotions, attention, and brand recall.

The research, conducted using DAIVID’s AI-powered content testing platform, evaluated 50 TikTok videos from five major brands across various sectors: Persil, Mercedes, Duolingo, Gucci, and Samsung.

The study measured the effectiveness of content based on emotions elicited, attention generated, and impact on brand metrics.

Key findings from the study include:

• Only 16% of branded TikTok videos scored higher than the average Creative Effectiveness Score (CES) of 5.8 out of 10, a composite metric combining attention, emotions, and memory.
• 60% of videos were deemed “forgettable,” with positive emotional responses and below-average brand recall. These videos also scored higher than the global average for confusion and boredom.
• 24% of videos evoked intense negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, awkwardness, disgust, and shame, potentially risking brand reputation damage.
• Overall, TikTok content was 9% less likely to generate intense positive emotions than the global average and attracted 2.5% less attention.

“This research reveals that the vast majority of content being released on TikTok simply isn’t up to scratch,” DAIVID founder & CEO Ian Forrester said in a news release. 

“60% of the creative is simply forgettable, under-indexing for positive emotions and over-indexing for negative emotions such as confusion and boredom,” Forrester added.

For context, NCSolutions’ recent report showed that creative content contributed to nearly 50% of sales lift in advertising campaigns, highlighting its role in driving consumer engagement and purchase decisions.

TikTok’s Ad Game

DAIVID’s study states that TikTok’s share in the global ad market continues to grow.

The platform recently surpassed YouTube as the preferred platform for video marketing among brands and retailers. 

As of summer 2024, 67% of brand and retailer professionals reported posting content on TikTok within July, compared to 60% for YouTube. 

The company has introduced many features to help brands elevate their advertising efforts. 

In January, TikTok rolled out “Out of Phone,” an advertising feature that enables brands to extend content produced and viewed within TikTok to other surfaces such as billboards, movie theaters, transport systems, restaurants, airports, gas stations, in-store displays, etc.

In May, TikTok unveiled advertising offerings as part of its TikTok Pulse suite, guaranteeing that brands’ campaigns will run adjacent to the platform’s top trending content across all categories.